15th Annual Burrowing Owl Festival

February 25, 2017

Cape Coral is home to the largest known population of the Florida Burrowing Owl which is a species of special concern. These pint sized birds burrow underground where they nest from early February through mid-July and are now the official city bird of Cape Coral.

Join us at this family fun filled event which celebrates the start of the burrowing owl nesting season and all of Cape Coral’s natural wildlife treasures.

Festival highlights include environmental and wildlife organizations with educational exhibits and live animals, bus tours to local burrowing owl burrows, demonstrations on burrowing owl burrow maintenance and starter burrows. There will be on site speakers with wildlife presentations and live birds of prey. Enjoy a tour through the live interactive butterfly house and learn about their host and nectar plants. Artists, photographers and craft vendors of all things natural, native and wild will have lovely items for sale. Children will enjoy the free arts and crafts activities at the Children’s Creative Corner. Also on site will be music and food vendors, so plan to spend the day.

Admission is $5 donation for ages 16 and older with free parking. Event proceeds will go toward local wildlife protection, preservation and education.

If that isn't enough, we have a special tour just for photographers. This tour leaves early in the morning to catch that "first light". On board will be an experienced photographer to give you tips on how to photograph these beautiful owls. For more information visit our PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR page. Space is limited to reserve your spot today!

Cape Coral Florida is home to Florida’s largest population of the Burrowing Owl. This whimsical bird has been established as the official City bird, and is one of the city’s natural resource treasures.

Habitat destruction and natural predators have impacted these birds and Florida Fish and Wildlife has given them the status of a species of special concern.

Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife (CCFW) has been looking after these birds for nearly a decade and began holding the Burrowing Owl Festival to raise money to increase public awareness and for maintenance of their burrows.

The festival, in its 13th year, is growing larger every year, with thousands attending the one day festival.

Highlights of the festival are lectures about the Burrowing Owl and other nature orientated topics, nature hikes to observe the varied habitats and wildlife at Rotary Park, guided bus tours to observe the Burrowing Owl habitats, as well as dozens of local artists showing and selling nature related arts and crafts. Various guest speakers will be on hand to give informative talks on various wildlife topics. One of the highlights of the festival is the newly dedicated interactive butterfly tent exhibit. This exhibit was dedicated to Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife member Tom Allen, who passed away in 2010 and was the driving force in getting this butterfly exhibit built and stocked. To read more about Tom Allen, [Click Here].

There will also be demonstrations on how to install a starter burrow on your property in the hopes of attracting a Burrowing Owl to your lawn.

One of the newest programs started by CCFW is the Adopt a Burrow Program. With over 2700 owl burrows documented in the City of Cape Coral, the club is reaching out to the citizens to help keep the Burrowing Owls homes trimmed up and free of weeds. Overgrown weeds at burrow sites often lead to causing the owls to abandon the nest, and increases the risk of being killed by predators.

Citizens with burrows in their neighborhood are encouraged to attend classes to learn the correct way to approach a burrow and trim the grass. They “adopt” these burrows and care for them throughout the year.

If you are interested in purchasing native plants to enhance your property, you can choose from a large variety of plants and reasonable prices.

Looking for something for the kids to do? Bring them all out to the festival. The Kids Arts and Crafts Corner has lots of hands on activities for the kids.

Be sure and stay for lunch. Several food vendors will be on site to serve you up some great tasting food.

Come learn about all the beautiful wildlife Cape Coral and the surrounding area has to offer. All proceeds go towards the preservation and protection of our wildlife resources.

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CCFW Calendar

Butterfly Stepping Stones

CCFW – Proud Member of Florida SEE

Florida Society for Ethical Tourism is the professional authority for the ecotourism industry in Florida. It established and maintains a professional code of ecotourism ethics in order to encourage an awareness and stewardship of Florida's natural heritage.”

Important Note about Hotel Reservations

Book your hotel reservations for anywhere in the world and 5% will be donated to the Wildlife Foundation of Florida. Help protect Florida's wildlife by using the following link to book your hotel stays. wildlifefoundationofflorida.com/birding